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    Provincetown History Snippets: Who is William F. Boogar Jr.?
    March 16, 2019
    William Boogar
    He loved birds. He also loved bronze, and the combination made for exceptional art created by William F. Boogar, Jr., a noted sculptor who studied in Provincetown with Charles Hawthorne and settled here permanently in 1933. He worked in the lost-wax method in...
    Provincetown History Snippets: Who Was The Nauset?
    March 3, 2019
    The Nauset
    When they came ashore at what would become Provincetown, Mayflower passengers first encountered a native tribe called the Nauset. Part of the Algonquin, the Nauset lived on Cape Cod from Bass River east. They were non-nomadic and peaceable; there were no...
    Provincetown History Snippets: What is Helltown?
    February 16, 2019
    Helltown Provincetown
    Helltown was a settlement south of Hatches Harbor, with 33 buildings, a fleet of 30 dories, and a working population of about 125 fishermen. When Mary Heaton Vorse asked a captain why it was called Helltown, he answered, “because of the helling that went on...
    Provincetown History Snippets: Library on the Move?
    February 8, 2019
    Provincetown Library
    If you’re looking at the Provincetown Public Library, then you’re looking back in time! It started life as the Center Methodist Episcopal Church and was impressive for its time, with a 162-foot tower housing a bronze bell. The spire was damaged during...
    Provincetown History Snippets: What is the HMS Somerset III?
    January 31, 2019
    Somerset II Provincetown
    The British man-of-war Somerset III terrorized the Cape area for some years up to and during the American Revolution, and was often anchored in Provincetown Harbor, where “boats frequently landed, and the officers helped themselves to water, provisions, and...
    Provincetown History Snippets: Fight Smart, Harm Few
    January 25, 2019
    Whydah Gally
    Last year, the wreck of the pirate ship Whydah gave up part of her captain: a leg bone found in concretion is widely believed by archaeologists to belong to “Black Sam” Bellamy, New England’s most famous pirate, who became wealthy not because of greed...
    Provincetown History Snippets: Sassafras and Colonization
    January 17, 2019
    Sassafras Provincetown
    Sassafras was valued in England for the medicinal qualities of its roots (it was supposed to cure both syphilis and smallpox!), so much so that two ships were sent on the “Great Sassafras Hunt” to New England. One of the captains had previously sailed...
    Provincetown History Snippets: Saving Sailors
    January 4, 2019
    Saving Sailors Provincetown
    In the early 1800s, winters saw an average of two wrecks off the Outer Cape every month. Many sailors made it to shore—and then froze to death right on the beach. In 1872 an efficient lifesaving service was put into operation, with stations every five miles...
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